Many of us were holding the pets we adopted at Sam's party!
Woo-hoo! It's Spring Birthday Season around here and we are stoked to celebrate quite a few of our friends over the next several weeks! We began our spring sessions with the master gardeners on Tuesday morning, and that was followed by a delicious hot dog lunch (with a fun surprise) to celebrate Sam's birthday. On Wednesday, we volunteered at GCOC, began to spruce up our garden plot, and conducted soil testing experiments. By Thursday the skies were cloudy again, and we enjoyed staying in to learn interesting facts about farm animals, and have breakfast for lunch. Next thing we knew it was Friday and we finished our week with crafts and a celebration of Unicorn Day. Another week with much to do, and that's just how we like it!
Tuesday, April 8
We had two exciting activities to look forward to today. First, we kicked off the spring session with our master gardener friends at Freedom Park in the Williamsburg Botanical Garden. Next, when we returned to AFCC, Sam's parents had set up a fabulous pet-themed birthday party that included a fun surprise!
We began our 9th year of working with the James City County Master Gardeners today! It was a little chilly outside, but our hearts were warmed by seeing Rick, Barb, Karen, Carolyn, and Joanne. 💚
For the first part of today's session, we divided into groups to do planting. Karen's group worked at the Fairy Garden to add beautiful succulent plants.
After the group was finished planting, we found MG Carolyn checking out the Fairy Garden and taking a picture she will use to create the beautiful MG journal update page (which you can see below)!
Barb's group was busy planting seeds today so we can grow spinach, several varieties of lettuce, beets, radishes, and carrots! The spinach should grow pretty quickly, and we may even be able to harvest some "small, baby leaves" in two weeks when we return to work with the MGs. Let's hope the bunnies don't beat us to it!
Sam pulled up the red cabbage that we will use next week to make coleslaw for our bbq lunch on Thursday!
After our planting was complete, we learned about types of soil, why soil is important for life, and how to test soil to see if it's healthy for planting what we want to grow. The gardeners gave us small pots of soil and marigold seeds to take back and plant. It will be fun to watch them grow. They also gave us extra test strips so we can test soil from different areas around AFCC, which we will do tomorrow, before we plant the extra onion sets Rick gave us! Thanks, MGs, for a fantastic lesson and a great time visiting with you, too!
Thank you, MG Carolyn, for a beautiful journal update for this session!
When we got back to AFCC, Sam's parents, Coach Teri and Tim, had already arrived and set up a wonderful hot dog luncheon for us so we could celebrate Sam's birthday. Sam turned 38 yesterday, and doesn't he look fabulous?! Lunch also included chips, lemonade, and cupcakes, and it was very good, especially since Sam's parents did all the work! (We could get used to returning to the center and having lunch waiting for us! LOL!) The theme of the party...or should we say pawty, was pets! We didn't know it, but there was a surprise to come after we ate!
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What a fun party idea! Everyone enjoyed choosing a pet, picking a colorful collar for it, and giving it a name!
Happy Birthday, Sam! We hope all your wishes come true! Thank you, Coach Teri and Tim, for delivering a tasty "pawty" with a fun surprise! We enjoyed our celebration of Sam's birthday very much!
Wednesday, April 9
The sun was shining brightly today, but it was still chilly outside. The weather has been wacky recently! This morning we sent a group to volunteer at Grove while the others worked in the garden and created thank you notes for Sam's parents. We were busy!
It was packing nonperishable foods as usual at Grove Christian Outreach Center. Thom and Ursula were traveling, so we just worked with Joel and Peggy today, but there were 9 of us to help, and we got the job done! We'd like to thank Peggy for bringing us homemade Rice Krispie treats today! She sent enough for us to share with everyone, and we enjoyed them after lunch. Such a thoughtful...and sweet...gesture!
Alexis and 8 of her favorite guy friends - Erik, Xavier, Kevin, Patrick, Drew, Thomas, Devin, and Abraham - helped Peggy and Joel pack over 140 bags of food!
Back at AFCC, Allison and Carol took a group to our plot in the community garden behind the school to work on tidying up the space. They took advantage of the moist soil from the recent rain which made weed pulling easier. The master gardeners are coming on May 13 to help us plant herbs in the raised bed.
Back at AFCC, Allison and Carol took a group to our plot in the community garden behind the school to work on tidying up the space. They took advantage of the moist soil from the recent rain which made weed pulling easier. The master gardeners are coming on May 13 to help us plant herbs in the raised bed.
Gail, Bryan, and Liz made quick work of pulling weeds and tidying up in the garden plot
Back inside, the rest of the gang worked with Nan on making cards for some special people in our lives. They took their time and used colored pencils, and their work was beautifully done.
Laura, Annmarie, Sam, and Kate created thank you cards for Sam's parents, and birthday cards for our dear friend, and former volunteer, Becky.
We followed up yesterday's lesson with the MGs by becoming soil scientists today! Using the test strips Krafty Karen gave us, we tested soil from 4 spots: the raised bed in the garden, two different pots of soil outside our window, and the soil in the small pots the MGs gave us for planting marigold seeds. WORD of the DAY: pedologist - a person who studies soil 🤓
This group tested the soil in the marigold pots. The results indicated it was not as nutritious as we hoped. The pH was on the lower, or acidic, side.
These guys tested soil from one of the pots outside our window. It tested in the normal pH range, and we knew it would be good for planting our onion bulbs!
This group was happy to see that the soil in our raised bed tested in the normal range, too. That means our future herbs should grow well, which means some extra goodness in our cooking this summer!
Our final group gave the thumbs up because the soil they tested, from the other pot outside our window, had a perfect pH balance!
After a discussion, we wondered if we should plant the marigold seeds in the soil that Karen had put in the little pots, since it was testing acidic. We decided to mix the acidic soil from the little pots with the soil from one of the pots outside our window. When we tested the mixture, it was still in the good pH range, so we filled the little pots and Destiny helped us plant our marigold seeds. But, before we planted, we watched a short video where the gardener did an experiment to see if the position in which marigold seeds were planted made a difference in how they grew. It turns out, it doesn't much matter if you plant the seeds "pointy side up, pointy side down, or lying flat on top of the soil." They all grew, so we hope ours will, too!
We hope our marigold seeds will have grown like the ones shown in the video after about 2 weeks. We will keep them in a sunny window, or maybe set them outside for even more sun. The gardener in the video said marigolds need lots of sun, and that will help to keep the new plants from getting too "leggy" before we have a chance to transplant them!
All of our work being pedologists took longer than expected, so we postponed Unicorn Day to Friday. Eaton doesn't need us this week, so we'll have more time to enjoy having fun learning about unicorns. We ended the day by beginning our new read-aloud, The Wild Robot Escapes. It is the second of three in the series about Roz, the wild robot. We really liked the first book, and from what we heard today, we think we're going to like this one, too!
Thursday, April 10
First thing this morning we spotted a hummingbird at the feeder we just hung yesterday! It's a ruby-throated male, and we hope to see his friends (or mate) next. We usually have 3 hummingbirds each season. Great job snagging the photo, Carol!
Update: We saw a second hummingbird on Friday!
Thank you to Michelle, Kevin, Kate, and Patrick for ditching most of our old and worn out crayons and replacing them with fresh new ones!
Today was National Farm Animals Day, and we were quite surprised at how many resources we could find (short of a trip to a farm) to help us learn fun and interesting facts about them! Of course, we watched a video, and afterward, we reviewed what we learned. These pictures show just a few of the cool facts that we remembered!
1) Pigs have no sweat glands so they roll in mud to cool off; 2) Abraham Lincoln was fond of goats (and all animals) and had two for pets in the White House; 3) Cows have no TOP teeth...we got our fact confused on our sign...oops!; 4) Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal.
We always love to see our guys doing brain work. Today's crossword was quite challenging for one group, while the other group zipped through their patterns and beginning sounds assignment!
Our lunch today was a nod to farm animals...sort of. We had pancakes, sausage, boiled eggs, bananas, and blueberries. A fun activity we did was try to peel the boiled eggs a few different ways. The roll it on the table method to crack and loosen the shell worked well for most of our guys. Liz tried a method that involved peeling the bottom part of the shell up and then sliding a spoon between the egg and shell. She was successful at getting the shell off by pushing with the spoon, but rolling and cracking seemed a faster method.
A third method involved peeling the top and bottom part of the shell off, and then trying to blow the egg out of the rest of the shell. That was a lot of work, too, and not successful for Devin or Kate, but we applaud them for trying! (Lisa was able to do it but alas, no video!)
NOTE: After one of our guys peeled an egg, they dropped it into a plastic bag with their name on it. No one ate an egg that they didn't touch or peel!
We had time for farm fitness! We trotted like goats and rolled in the mud like pigs. In this photo, we were waving in the wind like a field of wheat!
Tracy stopped by near the end of the day to introduce us to JCC Parks & Rec's new Special Events Coordinator, Alexis Boyd. She's from Danville, VA originally, but has relocated to our area because she's engaged to a local guy. Yes, our guys got the scoop on all things Alexis today! Here, she was showing the girls pictures of her wedding dress and of course, her husband to be! Welcome to the team, Alexis! We hope we get to see you from time to time!
We also got a heartwarming update from Tessa's mom today! Tessa was finally able to get outside for some fresh air, thanks to the donation of this motorized wheelchair. Also, with support, Tessa is now walking up and down six stairs and is able to walk to the "real" bathroom, too...those are huge steps!
💖 Please join us in sending lots of positive energy to Tessa and her caregivers as she continues to make great progress! 💖
Friday, April 11
Eaton did not need us to work onsite today, but Carol and this crew dropped off work we had completed at the center. Ethan gave us more parts to gasket, so we will work on those next week.
On the way back from Eaton, Carol and crew stopped at a Mexican restaurant called Los Paisanos. It's located on Rt. 60 near the WATA transportation center. Our crew inquired about the possibility of us celebrating Cinco de Mayo at the restaurant on Tuesday, May 6. When the crew showed us the menu and shared that the restaurant would welcome us, we made a plan! More details in a few weeks...
It's been a busy week and we kept putting off a craft project that involves decorating large eggs cut from cardboard. We got around to it today, and they are shaping up to be really pretty!
Step 1 was to color the background of the egg using markers or crayons, which Alexis, Drew, and Sam were doing here.
Step 2 was to glue dried pieces of pasta in decorative designs on the eggs. We had pasta in several shapes, and Patrick, Kate, and Abraham enjoyed creating their designs.
Abraham was concentrating so well on placing the dried pasta on the glue. The last step is to gently paint the pasta, but we will do that on Tuesday.
Our postponed celebration of National Unicorn Day was fun! It's on April 9 each year. We watched a Mystery Science episode called "Were Unicorns Real?" and learned that the unicorn myth goes back even before Ancient Greece. We played "Pin the Horn on the Unicorn" and did brain work with a unicorn theme, too. The sweetest part was when Lisa passed out unicorn fruit snacks!! 🦄
Alexis, Liz, Kate, and Gail posed in a unicorn garden with fun hair accessories and stuffed unicorns they brought from home. It was magical!
Spring Break means the gym is free for us to shoot hoops, throw the football, and walk...with our favorite tunes playing in the background!
Next week will be here before we know it, but we'll be ready. Here's a look at our plans:
Wednesday: Our therapy dog friends visit today for reading and fun! Yesterday was Titanic Remembrance Day, so we're going to have a lesson about that fateful event. We'll also do a cute bunny craft to complement the big eggs we already created. Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is serving Popcorn Chicken Bowl or Yogurt Combo.
Thursday: This morning we will stay at the center to celebrate National High Five Day and bake bunny shaped cakes for tomorrow's lunch. Then, we'll head to Newport News Park for lunch, walking, and games. Please bring a bagged lunch.
Friday: Today is a Pet Supplies Plus work day, so please wear PSP shirts. The crew that remains at AFCC will clean tables and yoga mats and prepare a lunch of pork bbq sandwiches, coleslaw made with the cabbage we harvested at the garden last week, and mac and cheese. We'll spend the afternoon playing Easter egg themed games.
We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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